Consummating

Chapter 14

Ivy’s POV

No!

I can't let him kiss me. So I ran.

But his shadow fell over me just as I reached the edge of the hall. My heart pounded, breath catching in my throat like a trapped bird. I didn’t even get the chance to scream.

A hand wrapped tightly around my wrist, hot, firm, possessive. Damon.

“Where do you think you’re going?” His voice was low, calm, almost teasing. But underneath, it burned with something darker. “Didn’t you hear what the priest said?”

His lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile. “He said I should kiss my bride.”

I froze. My chest heaved, knees nearly buckling beneath the weight of what was happening. Then, he moved in.

I squeezed my eyes shut as his face came closer. And then, his lips touched mine.

Soft.

Warm.

Plush.

It wasn’t rough or cold like I expected from someone who wore a mask and ruled through fear. No. His kiss was calculated, deliberate. Like he’d thought about this moment a thousand times and wanted me to remember every second of it.

His hand slid to my lower back, pulling me flush against him. My fists pressed weakly against his chest, trembling, trying to resist, only, something in me betrayed me. The longer our lips stayed connected, the harder it was to breathe. Not because of fear, but because of the strange, dizzying heat curling through me.

Then, his tongue slid into my mouth, claiming me, tasting me. It was my first kiss.

My heart screamed at me to pull away. But my body… it betrayed me again.

This was wrong. I shouldn’t be feeling this.

Not with him.

Not like this.

And yet…

The image of his face flashed in my mind, the face I saw under the water when he fell, that brief second before everything changed. I tried to hold onto it. But it slipped from me, like mist through my fingers.

Gone.

I couldn’t remember his face anymore. It was like… like I’d never seen it at all.

My chest tightened. Something wasn’t right.

The kiss ended too slowly. When he finally pulled away, my lips tingled, still parted, breath shallow. My legs felt like jelly, and I stumbled forward, gripping the fabric of his black robe.

“What did you do to me?” I whispered, looking up at him, my voice shaking with confusion. “Did you erase my memory?”

He turned his head slightly, almost like he didn’t want to meet my eyes. “Yes,” he said simply. His voice was flat. “I did. No one deserves to see my face. That was a mistake.”

His eyes glinted through the mask.

“Thank heavens I’m not killing you.”

And just like that, he turned, the fabric of his robe trailing behind him like a shadow. He left me standing there, trembling in my white wedding gown, married to a stranger, a Lycan I barely knew.

My heart screamed inside me. This isn't how it's supposed to be.

All I ever wanted was to find someone who loved me… someone I could fall in love with. Not this. Not a masked beast who kissed me like he owned me and vanished like a ghost.

My knees wobbled, but then I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Please follow me,” Selene’s calm voice said from behind. “You’re no longer a common maid. You’re married now. You’ll be transferred to a new room.”

I turned slowly, eyes still wide, tears threatening to spill. I followed her in silence, not because I agreed, but because I didn’t know what else to do. My world had tilted too far.

We stopped in front of a tall oak door. Selene pushed it open, and I gasped.

The room was almost an exact replica of the one I had as a child, before everything was stolen from me. Modern white bed, soft blue sheets, delicate curtains dancing in the air-conditioned breeze.

I walked in like I was stepping into a memory. My fingers grazed the edge of the bed.

I hadn’t had a moment like this in years. I hadn’t even watched a movie. My life had always been about being “the savior.” Training. Fighting. Surviving. I was always expected to be strong.

But now, after everything, the injections, the marriage, the mask, I was nothing more than a shell of who I was. Drained. Powerless just like humans.

“You’ll be staying here from now on,” Selene said gently, standing by the door.

I looked at her, the hope flickering again in my eyes.

“Are you sure… are you sure you still want to run away?” she asked, voice laced with caution. “The bond between you two is stronger now. You’re his wife.”

I took a shaky breath, my hands clenched tightly at my sides. “Yes,” I whispered. “Please. Help me. I don’t belong here.”

She studied me for a second, those knowing eyes. Then she nodded.

“I’ll help you,” she said softly before she slipped out, the door closing behind her with a quiet click.

Silence fell. And for the first time in forever… I was alone. But my mind wasn’t.

Why did he give me this room? Was it kindness? A distraction? A trap?

Was this how he planned to keep me here? Confuse me with comfort?

I had nowhere to go. But staying here didn’t feel like safety, it felt like a golden cage.

And Derek, he was still out there. Watching. Waiting. I shivered.

I curled into the bed, hugging my knees. My thoughts a whirlwind. Questions. Emotions. Regrets.

Then…

“What the hell are you thinking?” a deep voice thundered, slicing through the silence like a blade.

I jumped. My breath caught. I looked up, and there he was again.

Damon.

His voice dripped with fury. His eyes, intense, smoldering behind the black mask, locked onto me like prey.

“You think you can run from me? Whatever you're plotting, it won't work.” he growled, stalking into the room with the silent grace of a predator.

I backed against the headboard instinctively.

“I—” my voice faltered. “Why are you here?”

He leaned in slowly, every movement controlled, deliberate, terrifyingly calm. “Prepare yourself,” he whispered, lips dangerously close to my ear. “Tonight… is our consummation night.”

My blood turned to ice.

My eyes widened, lips parted, heart hammering against my chest like a war drum. “What?”